Canary Islands: emergency batteries of at least 16 MW for La Palma after the 2 November “energy zero”

The Canary Islands government's department for Ecological Transition and Energy sent invitations on Monday, 9 November, through the Directorate-General for Energy, to specialised energy storage companies to install emergency batteries on La Palma. The contract is being awarded under the emergency route of Spain's public procurement law, and award is expected within one month, the regional government said.

The figures. The system must deliver at least 16 MW with a minimum of two hours of storage, in four independent 4 MW modules or two 8 MW modules. The batteries would step in automatically when generating units trip and speed up restoration thanks to their black-start capability. The goal is for them to be operating during 2027, after permitting, installation and commissioning.

Context. On 2 November an “energy zero” cut power to all 50,508 supply points on the island. On 4 November, according to Endesa, the disconnection of several units at the Los Guinchos plant hit another 13,740 supply points for 22 minutes. Spain's Ministry for the Ecological Transition only accepted batteries as an emergency resource in island systems on 30 June 2026; it was then agreed that the ministry would fund 25% of the cost and the region 75%.

What comes next. The Canary government stresses that the batteries do not replace outstanding investments: renewing the Los Guinchos units, the new Las Breñas substation and a second transmission line to the Valle de Aridane. In the first state tender for conventional generation, Endesa withdrew from the five engines provisionally awarded to it; for the second tender, the regional government is asking for 64 MW for La Palma, against the 52 MW proposed by the ministry.